The Devil's Dance
by TarrynReid
Summary: Remus Lupin has a lot of secrets. He has so many secrets that even his best friend James Potter doesn't know all of them. That's why it's such a shock when he meets Sirius Black, the man who may have more to hide than he ever will. An AU where Voldemort has already fallen from power and Sirius Black never attended Hogwarts.
1. Chapter 1

The music in the club was loud and obnoxious. Smoke filled the stale air, lending it an unpleasant taste. The lights were dim and darkness pressed against the corners of the room. A pair of men made their way to the bar to the left.

Both were young, only about eighteen, and tall. The taller of the two had unruly black hair that stuck up in a clumped mass along the back of his head and hazel eyes hidden beneath thick black glasses. The other man had honey brown hair that just fell into his warm brown eyes. His face had a pale, faded scar running across his nose and more scars peeked out from the ends of his sleeves.

Reaching the bar, the brunet smiled at the bartender before calling out a greeting, "Hello Frank."

"Remus!" The bartender, Frank, smiled. "And James. I didn't think you would actually come."

James leaned against the counter and grinned. "Said we would, didn't we?"

"So what can I get you? On the house."

As Frank prepared their drinks, Remus sat on a stool and looked around. The club wasn't very busy, although it was hard to tell in the poorly lit room.

Surprisingly James was the one who suggested visiting Frank at his new job. They had just finished school and were enjoying their newfound freedom when James came up with the idea. It wasn't that James didn't like Frank, they've been friends for years. It was just that this specific club wasn't exactly James' type.

Remus loved James, but he didn't actually believe that his tolerance was strong enough for him to spend time somewhere where practically naked men gyrated for money. Still, it was James' idea so they went and Remus tried his very best not to look too pleased.

"I still can't believe you two came," Frank began to polish some glasses as he continued to shake his head at them. "I would have figured you'd stay away in case people thought you were bent or something."

James just grinned as he took a drink. "Mate, we're just visiting a friend. You're the pouf working at a poofter club."

Remus grimaced and put his glass down. "We really need to work on expanding your vocabulary."

Ignoring Remus, James narrowed his eyes at Frank's silence. "Not going to defend yourself?"

Frank looked up in exasperation, "Do I need to? I'm literally getting married. To a woman."

James rolled his eyes and took a quick glance around. "You're not very busy are you?"

Remus bit back a sigh. James may have come here of his own free will, but he certainly wasn't being all that happy about it. Anyways, it was a Tuesday night. What was James expecting?

Frank said nearly the same thing but tacked on, "Although Star usually brings in a good amount, even on weeknights."

Remus looked to where he was pointing to see a small group of men crowded around one of the dancers. He hadn't noticed them before because they were towards the darkened back of the room. The dancer entertaining them, Star, was up on a small stage in only a pair of tiny black underwear. They almost looked like bikini bottoms and left nothing to the imagination. From where Remus sat he couldn't make out much detail about Star's appearance, just that he was slender with long dark hair.

As Remus watched, the dancer slowly lowered his bottoms until the base of his cock was showing before quickly pulling up them up again. _Tease,_ Remus, thought.

"I wouldn't keep watching unless you want to get an eyeful, Remus." Franks was smiling as he began to wipe down the bar.

"He doesn't actually get naked does he?" James looked shocked, but Frank just laughed.

"Of course he does, Potter."

"Well, that's a bit seedy, isn't it?" James paused and when it seemed that no one was going to respond to him, put his head in his hands and asked,"Frank. Please tell me you get off soon."

"Well, seeing has he's just gotten naked, it can't be too long before I get off." Remus burst out laughing as Frank winked and James turned and grimaced. "Calm down. I'm off in fifteen. Think your heterosexuality can last until then?"

"That's implying it existed in the first place." Remus leapt from the stool to dodge the smack James had sent him while Frank doubled over in laughter.

Remus experienced a little bubble of disbelief as he joined Frank and even James in laughter. Sometimes, he was honestly shocked he had managed to acquire such great friends.

In his life, he should have expected poverty and humiliation. And even though he had experienced more than his fair share of that, he was lucky enough to also experienced joy, love and much more hope than he felt he deserved. Moments like these were not something he could ever take for granted because he never expected to have them at all.

Soon enough, James and him stood outside the small club waiting for Frank to exit. It was just past midnight, and the air had a sharp bite to it. Shoving his hands in his pockets, Remus turned to ask James if they could stop somewhere for hot chocolate when Frank exited the club with a young man, who looked about their age or a little younger.

"Here they are. Star, this is James and that's Remus," Frank said while nodding at them. Frank gestured at the young man and said, "Mates, this is Star. He just got off, so I've invited him along. Is that okay?"

"'Cors," James replied hesitatingly. He looked slightly uncomfortable but quickly shook Star's hand. Frank and him began to walk away from the club while Remus and Star followed behind.

"Fag?"

"What?" Remus sputtered and spun to face Star, who was dangling a cigarette towards him. For a moment, Remus felt conflicted, as he didn't truly smoke but wanted to appear friendly. He settled for shaking his head while giving a little laugh, that sounded vaguely hysterical even to his own ears.

If offended, Star hid it well. He simply shrugged and lit the cigarette himself before taking a long drag. Remus couldn't help but notice that the man was very attractive. He was of average height and pale, but his long dark lashes complimented his prominent cheekbones perfectly. And with his straight nose and full, slightly chapped pink lips, he was beautiful to look at. Remus had never really understood why a man would like long hair, but on Star, the long wavy black hair framed his highly structured face, ivory skin and dark grey eyes beautifully.

Intending to distract himself, Remus smiled politely at the dancer and asked, "So, Star? That can't be your real name."

Star barked out a laugh and said, "No. Gods, it's such a shit fake name, I can't even imagine some poor bloke having it as his real name."

Remus smiled and held out his hand. "Remus Lupin, nice to meet you." Star shook his hand but looked confused.

"Sorry, but we were already introduced."

Blushing Remus gave another, unfortunately hysterical, laugh. "Yeah, I know. But you never said your real name and…I mean, you already know mine. It's only fair really."

"Oh." Star didn't say anything else, and Remus suddenly felt too uncomfortable to speak either. He didn't understand why the man wouldn't just say his real name. What would Remus do with that information anyways? His thoughts were interrupted when Star cleared his throat and bit out, "Sirius."

"Sirius?"

"Yeah." Taking a deep drag on his cigarette before crushing it to the pavement, he quietly said, "That's my name."

Remus smiled at him as they approached the building Frank's flat was in. "That's much better than Star."

Sirius gave a small smile as they began up the stairs to the flat. Remus thought he looked quite sweet with that almost shy smile, and his faded purple jumper, his shaggy hair a little windblown.

It may just be the nicest smile he's ever seen.

* * *

"I want you to fuck me." Remus stood panting as lips pressed to his again. He felt the mouth press hot, open kisses along his jaw before coming back up to his lips, "Remus. I want you to fuck me."

Unexpected felt like a complete understatement in relation to what was happening at the moment. Remus, when getting dressed to go visit Frank, had never imagined that he would be standing in a comprising in a bathroom with a stripper while Frank and James slept in the next room. If he felt any hesitation, it was only out of pure shock.

His friends didn't know he wasn't straight, and he wasn't ready for them to know. Not that there was any chance of them finding out right now, seeing as both Frank and James were in a drunken slumber. What made him hesitate was that he was still unable to believe this was happening. An hour ago, he and Sirius had searched through Frank's record collection while the others proceeded to get miserably drunk.

He's not sure what happened to lead to him following Sirius into the bathroom, giggling like mad before pressing him against the sink and snogging him thoroughly. It didn't matter either as they were both now standing there in only their pants, bodies pressed so close together that Remus could feel the thumping of Sirius' heart.

Deciding that now was the time to be honest, Remus dropped to his knees and pulled down the raven-haired man's pants. At the look of surprise on Sirius' face, Remus raised his eyebrows and said, "There is no way I'm going to last long enough for that." He then gently engulfed the swollen head of the cock in front of him.

Sucking lightly, he began to fist the part of the cock that wasn't in his mouth. Remus felt fingers tighten in his hair and looked up to see dark, hungry eyes watching him intently. As he fit more of the cock into his mouth and sucked hard, Sirius cried out, and his eyes fluttered as he tried to keep them open.

Moving one hand to Sirius' hip, he began to bob his head up and down along the shaft while dragging his tongue along the underside. He used his other hand to cup Sirius' balls and causing a choked off moan. Reaching his hand further back, he lightly touched along the perineum before moving sliding his finger along the crack of Sirius' ass.

Sirius' breathing audibly picked up as Remus circled the pucker, and when he gently pressed, Sirius tugged at his hair.

"I…" The sounds coming out of his mouth made Remus groan in frustration. He was regretting deciding to not fuck Sirius now that he's heard the sounds Sirius makes just from getting his asshole touched. "Fuck, Remus. I'm close…"

Remus removed both his hands and let the cock out of his mouth with a light pop. Standing so that they are chest to chest, Remus leans in to suck on Sirius's neck. He groans when he feels Sirius calloused hands take them both in hand and begin to move. As they thrust against each other, Remus moves to see Sirius' face and almost comes immediately.

His eyes are fluttering and his perfect, full lips part as he pants and moans. His pale skin is flushed, his dark hair sticking to his face and there is a look of pure pleasure on his face that Remus wants to remember until the day he dies.

Feeling his release coming, Remus bites down on Sirius' shoulder causing the man to cry out and come over their hands and stomachs. The warmth of the come and the feel of Sirius pressed against him is too much, and Remus comes with an almost silent groan.

The bathroom lights flicker as they slowly recover and begin to wipe themselves off. Smiling at each other, they dress and return to the living room where James and Frank still lie asleep.

"Uh, I should probably go." Sirius doesn't look at Remus when he says this but bends down to put on his shoes.

"Oh. All right." Remus tells himself he isn't disappointed. That it was just a one-off and not to be so bloody clingy. Except, it was an exceptionally good time and he'll be damned if he never gets to make good on the opportunity to fuck Sirius. "That was fun. Maybe…?"

"It was…nice." Sirius looks distinctly uncomfortable and hides behind his hair as he does up his shoes. Sparing a glance at the still sleeping figures, Sirius whispers, "Look. I know because of what I do, it may seem like I do this stuff all the time. But I don't. So I'm not sure what you want-"

"I want to fuck you." Merlin, where had that come from? Remus cursed himself as Sirius' eyes bulged out of his face, and his mouth dropped open in surprise. Remus, who prides himself on being tactful, has no idea what prompted him to say that.

Sirius face slowly changes from one of shock to one of nervousness before settling on an indecipherable smirk. "Already missed your chance for that, I'm afraid."

Pulling a cigarette out of his pocket, Sirius makes his way to the door. Before stepping through, he turns to Remus and opens his mouth as if to say something. Whatever he was going to say was lost as Remus pressed his mouth gently against his.

This kiss wasn't intense or hard like the ones before it, but long and sweet. If Remus was never going to do this again, he wanted to drown in the taste of those lips and feel them move against his one more time.

A moment later, Remus pulled away. Sirius, looking slightly dazed, gave that small, shy smile again.

"Goodbye, Remus."

Leaning against the door frame, Remus watched as Sirius disappeared down the stairs. Shaking his head, Remus closed the door and made his way to an empty couch. He decided that it was for the best that he probably wouldn't see Sirius again.

That last smile, although admittedly nice, was dangerous. It had caused a tug in his stomach that he hadn't felt in a long time, and he wasn't too keen to reacquaint himself with the feeling. Feelings like that tend to lead to places Remus just wasn't ready to go. And if, in the future, Remus happened to find himself hanging around the club or asking Frank about Sirius, it was because of unresolved sexual tension. There was nothing else he wanted from the man.

It was just pure, sexual attraction.


	2. Chapter 2

_Little King,_

_It's been two months since you last wrote, and I was beginning to worry. Our mutual contact told me that you have a muggle girlfriend. If that's true, congratulations. I personally can't believe that you tricked some poor French girl into dating you. Not that she'll be dating you long, as you have an appalling lack of communication skills._

_Two months. You could have sent something. Anything. I would have been happy with a fucking Metro card. At least I would have known you were alive. Instead, I spent two months thinking this was all for nothing and that you've gone and got yourself killed, when in fact you've been living it up on the Continent. But I guess thanks for eventually sending me that lovely postcard. A little more than a Metro ticket, but I should feel honoured I suppose._

_Life here is the same, in case you were wondering. Mother is sick(more so than usual), and Kreacher can barely find it in himself to clean the toilets, he dotes on her so often. Don't worry. I'm sure she's fine. She's survived this long, hasn't she?_

_Work is interesting. One of my co-workers is all right. His mates are okay too. They're nice. I think you'd like them. Especially one of them. He kept talking to me about muggle music for a long time. I didn't mind. He's a muggle. They all are. I think you'd like him._

_I hope that you're okay. I'm still furious with you and I want to hate you. I hope you're okay._

_Please respond._

_Snuffles_

* * *

Sirius ducks as a shoe goes flying past his head. He soon has to resort to using his wand to deflect the objects being hurled at him.

Walburga Black was said to have been a great beauty in her youth. She was slim, with thick dark hair. Her face, before the war, was smooth with delicate features that complimented the angular set of her face nicely.

Now, as she sat in bed, her face was lined with age and red with exertion. Her skin was swallow and nothing in her posture was delicate as she continued to throw any object in reach towards her eldest.

"YOU VILE, LYING CREATURE! WHERE IS MY SON?"

"I told you, I don't know!" Sirius was trying to keep his rage in check. His mother had not been entirely sane for some time and her recent bout of illness was not helping matters. "Where ever he went, he's hiding-"

"KREACHER TOLD ME! HE TOLD ME WHAT HE SAW! HE SAW YOU, YOU MY OWN SON, WRITING A LETTER TO HIM BEHIND MY BACK!"

"I wasn't! He's in hiding! With Muggles! It's not like he can have owls delivering the post to him."

Walburga paused with her hand still clutching an inkwell and narrowed her eyes. "Explain what Kreacher saw."

"I was writing a letter to Regu-HEY! Let me finish, all right?" Sirius slowly began to back towards to the door as Walburga brought her arm back. "I don't send the letters to him. I just write them and pretend to. So I feel better."

Hoping that this would be enough, Sirius turned to the door and grasped the handle. He paused at the door when he heard an intake of breath.

"I sometimes do that too. It'll be good for when he comes back. He'll know he was missed."

"Yeah." Sirius couldn't bear to turn around as guilt flooded him and he escaped out of the room and down the stairs.

Another dancer was covering his shift tonight, so he collected some money from a jar in the kitchen and made his way outside, only stopping to grab his leather jacket.

He loved London. The crowded streets with their perpetual noise and relentless stream of cars, people and lights. He began sneaking out when he was twelve and by the time he had his first job at a bookstore on Knockturn Alley, he knew the streets like he was born with the knowledge. There was nothing more exciting to him than the colourful and thriving crowds around him. He couldn't even tell witch from muggle out here. It was wonderful.

Deciding that he didn't want to go far tonight, Sirius walked into a deserted alley and apparated into the Leaky Cauldron. The bar was gleaming as Tom wiped glasses behind it, the stools lining it mostly full. He was only halfway towards the bar when he heard someone call his name.

Turning, he spotted Frank and James sitting in a booth in the corner. Surprised he quickly checked to see if Remus was nearby. Making his way over to them, Sirius was so preoccupied with wondering where Remus was that it took a moment to realise why it was odd to see them here in this bar.

"You're wizards!"

James laughed and made room for him to sit down. "Obviously."

"But you had muggle music!"

Frank just shrugged. "Remus got me onto it. It's much better than anything our kind ever makes. Hmm, I'm going get us another round. You drinking?"

Sirius nodded and pulled out a small bag of money. He was disconcerted that he'd spent time with wizards. The only people he spent time with outside his house were all virtually muggles. Spending time in the wizarding world was safe as he was not likely to be recognised. However, giving his name to wizards was risky at best. Thank Merlin he only gave his first name to Remus.

He wasn't on the run, but most wizards have not yet forgiven the Blacks for their role in the war. Regulus had not helped matters with his foolish actions, only a couple years ago.

As the night carried on, Sirius found himself relaxing and enjoying the other men's company. Since he quit his job at the store, Sirius had experienced few nights like these. James and Frank bought round after round of drinks and soon Sirius was supporting James as they walked through Diagon Alley.

"Merlin's pants, do you know what I would do for ice cream right now?" James pushed off Sirius before draping an arm across Frank's shoulders. Drunkenly slurring, he whispered, "I would sell my broom."

"No!" Sirius reached out as if to grab James and shouted, "You love your broom! Remember, remember how you said you take care of it every night? And you always make sure it's polished every night?"

"Yeah! Yeah, I do!"

"You can't sell your broom James! You clean it, every night. I sometimes don't even clean my teeth every night." James gasped and released Frank as Sirius nodded. "It's true! You love your broom more than I love my teeth. And I am not giving my teeth for ice cream! I'm not!"

"Don't! Don't give away your teeth. You have very nice teeth. All white and shiny."

Sirius beamed and flashed a crooked grin. "I'm an aristocrat!"

James gasped and shook his head wildly. "You're a cat?!"

"No! I'm. Hmm. I like dogs. I think I'm a dog person. Woof woof. I'm a dog. Woof." Sirius continued to bark while James roared with laughter and nearly fell over in delight when Sirius began to "chase his own tail."

"You look just like a dog! Frank! Doesn't he look like a dog? Frank?" James turned in a circle, his hair dishevelled and his glasses askew. "Where's Frank?!"

"He's right there." Sirius pointed to a curled up mass on the ground. "How will we get him home now? Oh! I know! Your broom!"

"Yes!" James threw up a fist of victory and fished his wand out of his pockets. He drops his wand a few times before dramatically thrusting his arm out and saying, "Accio broom."

Both men scream when a large crash erupts and a broom comes bursting out of the shop to the left of them, in an explosion of glass. Sirius only has a moment to realise this isn't going to end well before the broom connects with his face and all goes dark.

* * *

"Here, take this."

Sirius dutifully lifted the glass to his lips and drained it. Immediately he groaned as the hangover potion went into effect and his headache ebbed away. The woman who administered the potion bent down so that she was eye level from where he was sitting on a chair.

Probing green eyes met his as she gently touched the tender side of his head. Skillfully drawing her wand up, she waved it once with a muttered spell and Sirius felt the throbbing disappear.

Last night's activities had caused a loud enough commotion to bring Tom, the owner of the Leaky Cauldron, out to investigate. Upon seeing two unconscious men on the ground, and one drunkenly waving his wand at a broom, he quickly flooed the girlfriend of the only one left standing.

Fortunately, she was able to make it there promptly and drag them all back to her flat before anyone called the authorities.

Leaning back, Sirius glanced around the kitchen and grunted, "Thanks."

"Right. So what happened last night? I would have asked then, but you lot were in no shape to answer." Sirius grimaced as he tried to recall the actions that led to him waking up in a strange flat with Frank Longbottom drooling on his shoulder.

Thankfully, he was saved from answering by a much too cheery James strutting into the room.

"Ah, good morning. Lovely day, isn't it?" Lily looked torn between amusement and anger, before settling on something in between.

"Oh, it's just wonderful. Waking up early to brew potions for the three drunken idiots who invaded my flat. Thinking to myself, 'It doesn't even matter what idiotic story I'm sure to hear when they wake up. Because at least I get the pleasure of taking care of their sorry asses instead of doing other things. Like sleep, for instance.'" She dragged a chair out so that it screeched across the tile and gracefully fell into it. "So tell me, why was I called to Diagon Alley in the middle of the night. It's got to be quite a story. In fact, I'm sure it's just lovely."

Sparing a glance at Sirius, who was determinedly staring at the floor, James explained, "Me and Frank were at the pub, and we met Sirius up there. That's Sirius by the way." Lily nodded in acknowledgement and James continued, "We got a little drunk, er…I decided I wanted ice cream. I guess we forgot the time. Anyways, we were walking down Diagon and I think Frank passed out. Hmm, I'm not sure when he did. So then, um, I think we decided to fly back. But I didn't have my broom so I tried to summon it."

"You tried to summon your broom all the way from Diagon Alley?" Lily interrupted her face incredulous.

"Eh, yeah. But then, we must have been by a quidditch shop cos a broom burst out of the shop and there was glass everywhere." Throwing an apologetic glance at Sirius, he rubbed the back of his neck. "The broom kind of hit Sirius and he passed out. Next thing I knew Tom was there and you know the rest. Mostly bad luck really. If only we hadn't been by that quidditch shop."

"You weren't by a quidditch shop. You were by an apothecary. You can't summon merchandise out of a store. Someone must have left their broom there. I mean honestly, James, really? You know they have spells to prevent theft."

James's cheeks darkened as he rubbed the growing stubble on his chin. Sirius chanced a look at the clock above the stove and leapt up when he realised it was past noon.

"Shit! Oh fuck, sorry. I have to go."

Barely sparing a glance at James Sirius tore through the flat until he reached the front door. As he ripped the door open, he called back, "Thanks, Lily. I can make it up to you some other time, yeah?" He didn't wait for an answer as he sped down the stairs and out of the building, trying to find a place to apparate as quickly as possible.

The club was empty as he entered through the back door and made his way to the office. Generally, every Sunday at noon Sirius would have a meeting with his the owner of the joint.

The owner was a hulking and scarred man named Fenrir Greyback. He was lounged in a seat behind a large desk, his forearms resting on the top.

Sirius tried to fight down his anxiety as he strode to the desk. He never missed their meetings and didn't know what to expect from the man. Greyback was known for his vicious temper and an unpredictable cruelty. Sirius desperately hoped that the calm demeanour being presented right now was not a facade. He prepared to sit but was stopped when Greyback raised his hand.

"You're late."

"Yes. I'm sorry, Sir. I-"

"You're late. I almost thought you weren't going to come."

"No, of course not."

Greyback eyed him carefully before gesturing that he should come over to the other side of the desk.

Swallowing loudly, Sirius ignored his sweaty palms and crossed to stand near Greyback.

"You made me wait."

Fear was beginning to blossom in Sirius' chest as he once again apologised, "I'm sorry."

Greyback cocked his head to the side and rasped, "Make it up to me."

Instinct was telling Sirius that whatever was about to happen was not going to be good. Pushing away the dread coiling in his stomach he asked, "How?"

Smiling widely, Greyback slowly unbuttoned his pants before lowering the zip.

If this was any other man, Sirius would have raged, would have torn the building apart in his anger. But he couldn't today. Not with this man.

This was new. Nothing like this had ever happened before. Then again, Sirius was one of the top workers and provided no reason for punishment. Disgust and hate coursed through Sirius as he realised there was no choice. The only thing he could do was raise his eyebrows in mock confusion.

It happened in a second. Claw like hands dug into his neck as he was pulled to the floor. Unable to resist the strong grip, Sirius was forced to his knees. Horrified, he stayed still as his head was drawn closer to the man sitting in the chair. Powerless, Sirius prayed it would end quickly.

* * *

The scent of freshly brewed coffee assaulted his senses as he stumbled through the streets. Relief flooded him as the coffee drowned out the other smell that had taken his nose hostage. He fell into the first empty seat he could find and leaned his face into shaking hands.

Although he could no longer smell Greyback's musk, his other senses were still all too aware of what had just happened. The taste of bile was still fresh in his mouth, thankfully replacing any other taste. A few hours must have passed, but he could still hear Greyback's animal-like grunting. The cafe was loud, but all Sirius could hear were the promised threats and disturbing sounds of pleasure.

Shaking slightly, he leans his head down on the table and hopes that no one will think to kick him out for a little bit.

"Sirius?" His head snaps up, and he finds himself looking into concerned brown eyes.

"Oh. Hello, Remus." Gathering his hands together, Sirius squeezes his fingers roughly.

Remus smiles but falters while looking at Sirius. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah." Sirius can't find it in him to be more responsive. All he wants is to be left alone. And yet, he also finds that he does not want Remus to leave.

"Um. Well, I was just going to go for a walk in the park. Would you like to come?"

"A walk in the park?"

"Yes. There's a park just down the road. It's small but lovely." Remus didn't look very hopeful and after a silent moment, stood to leave. "Well. It was nice seeing you."

Sirius watches as Remus leaves the cafe before rushing out after him. "Remus," he calls, "wait!"

A surprised expression crosses Remus' face as he stops in the sidewalk. "Decided you want to go the park after all?"

Sirius nods and walks alongside Remus as they continue to the park.

The park is small but charming, filled with scattered benches. Abandoning the assumed task of walking around the park, Sirius immediately sits down on one of the benches. After some hesitation, Remus follows.

"Are you sure you're all right? You seem off." Remus is watching him carefully. His eyes are kind, with an unfamiliar warmth.

"Can we just sit here?" Remus nods after a moment and settles against the back of the seat.

Soon Remus turns to him and moves to push back a stray lock of hair that has fallen into Sirius' eyes. Flinching back, Sirius unconsciously scoots further away on the bench. "Sorry. It's just…"

"No, it's all right." Looking at Remus from the side of his eye, Sirius takes a breath before moving closer until they're nearly touching.

Very slowly, Sirius leans until his head touches the other man's shoulder. He whispers, "I would like to be friends with you Remus. Just friends."

"Just friends?"

"Yeah, if you want to."

In response, Remus lets Sirius rest his head against him and doesn't say anything when he feels wetness spread along the collar of his shirt. He doesn't say anything as they watch families pass in huddles or when he feels slight trembling along the left side of his body. He doesn't say anything at all until he feels a cold hand take his, hidden in the safety of his pocket. Only then does squeeze the hand and quietly reply.

"I want to."


	3. Chapter 3

The pounding on the door wasn't what woke him up, but it was what motivated him to drag himself up from his bed. Stumbling through the darkened room, he gave a quick glance around and hoped whoever was at the door wouldn't be needing to come inside. The piles of clothes everywhere were one thing. However, the empty food cartons scattered around the flat were not only embarrassing but also disgusting.

He successfully managed to unlock and open the door with only three attempts, and was greeted with the sight of a flushed and frizzy haired Lily Evans.

"Good, you're awake. James said there was no way you would be awake before 10."

"Yeah, well...fucking hell. Before 10? What time is it?" Remus sputtered before shutting his mouth when Lily's eyes darkened. "Right, doesn't matter. Erm, come in, I suppose."

"You sure? You don't have anyone over, do you?" Remus felt her hair brush his neck as she peered into the flat cautiously as if moving slowly would render her invisible to any potential guests.

Giving up on any more words before he had something to drink or eat, he tugged her in and shut the door behind her. Deciding to continue on like he would an ordinary morning, he filled a glass with water and sat on the sinking couch, where he drank it, sip by sip.

Lily was still moving slowly and only sat down on the sofa next to him, once she appeared satisfied that they were alone.

"I'm sorry, were you expecting someone else to be here?"

Lily blushed and shook her head. Gathering herself up, she avoided his eyes and said, "We're having a party."

"Oh, great. Can't wait."

"You're invited."

"Yeah…I assumed…since you woke me up at an ungodly hour just to tell me about it." Remus replied.

Lily snorted in response and with a shake of her head, reached over to take the glass out of his hand and place it on the coffee table.

"You were going to spill it," she said in answer to his questioning glance. Remus sighed and thought about how pointless it was to live alone and still be woken up and bossed around. Not that Lily was anything but enjoyable to be around. Sometimes, it would just be nice to be alone. For a just a minute at least.

Between random outings with James and Frank, dinners with his parents and work, Remus felt overwhelmed with the urge to hide away from everything. Not to mention, he could not get a certain dark haired man out of his thoughts. Only armed with the location of his work, Remus had no real way to contact him that did not scream "stalker".

He'd considered asking Frank to invite him to their next bar crawl but didn't know how to phrase it right. "Hey, Frank? You know that stripper you work with? Star? Yeah, do think it'd be all right if you'd invite him out tomorrow night? And then be sure to make sure neither you nor James shows up so that I may actually stand a chance at befriending him? Why? Oh, no reason really. Just, I might like the chance to suck his cock again. And, see, it's a lot easier to convince someone to let you suck their cock when you're alone with them."

Except, of course, he was never going to suck Sirius' cock again. They're just friends. The boy was obviously distressed and Remus could never take advantage of someone like that. He agreed to be friends. And friends don't think about their other friend's cock.

"If you like," Lily started before glancing around the room once more, "you can invite that boy that went out with James the other night. Frank said you two were friends?"

"I can ask him, I suppose," Remus responded trying to act nonchalant as he already began to plot to visit Sirius at his work later in the day. It's not stalking to visit friends, right?

"Okay," she said, dragging the word out. "I'll just be on my way then. I've got a shift in an hour, and I'd like to get something to eat on the way. I'll just owl you the time and all that?"

"Sounds good. I can bring a platter if you'd like."

"A platter?" Lily laughed. "A platter of what?"

"Things. You know. Things that go on platters?" his voice rose higher in the end, turning the statement into a question.

"Lovely. I'm looking forward to the platter of things. It will significantly complement my bowl of the stuff. And my bottles full of liquids."

"Piss off. I will bring my platter of things. And they will go well with your assortment of whatever." Lily smiled and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek before leaving for her shift at the hospital.

After taking the rest of the morning and afternoon to catch up on his reading for work, Remus set about seeing Sirius. Walking quickly through the crowded streets and only having to apparate twice, he finally finds himself outside the nondescript building. Making his way inside, he lets his eyes adjust to the dark before looking for his new friend.

The crowd seems bigger today, and Remus is having more difficulty than he expected. The bartender today is not Frank, but Remus still proceeds up to the bar to enquire about the location of his friend. It would be his luck if it turned out Sirius was off tonight.

Taking a few moments to get his message across, Remus is pleased when the worker says, "You want Star?". Remus follows him through the club, where he's ushered into a small room and told to wait.

The room itself is just as dark as the rest of the building, with a lone couch in the room and a couple of small side tables. Making himself comfortable, he only has to wait about five more minutes before the door is opened and Sirius walks in.

Closing the door, Sirius walks towards the centre of the room before he nearly trips when making eye contact with the only other man in the room.

Grey eyes going wide, he croaks out, "Remus?"

"Hello. Sorry to bother-"

"Remus. I thought we agreed to just be friends."

Remus looks up from where he had been picking at the sofa in a burst of confusion.

"Yeah, we did."

Sirius looks him in the eye, and voice somewhat unsure, he forces out, "Remus. Friends don't give each other lap dances."

Eyes nearly popping out his head, Remus chokes on his own spit while also trying to communicate through desperate shakes of his head that, no, he was not here for a lap dance. Remus panics further when Sirius does not seem to be understanding the message.

"They don't. And..are you laughing?"

Finally, able to breathe, Remus raps out, "No! Merlin, no! I was chocking. God, Sirius. I just came here to talk. I swear. I didn't even know…Is that what the bartender said? He must have..I promise. That wasn't why.." Eventually, Remus trailed off as a strange look crossed Sirius' face. Remus watched as a broad smile began to expand across Sirius' face and his shoulders began to shake.

Soon, both boys were laughing and Sirius collapsed on the couch next to the werewolf.

"I hope you know lap dances aren't fee." Sirius smirked at the other boy and watched as he blushed.

"Shit. God. And I had to pick the most attractive dancer here to get one from."

"Can't blame you for that. You have excellent taste. Expensive taste. But still wonderful." Sirius nodded solemnly.

"It's a burden I bear. I did come here for a reason. A very platonic reason." Sirius raised delicate eyebrows up in question. Remus smiled and continued, "Like I said, I don't really know how to contact you other than just stopping in. I was wondering if maybe, you'd like to get something to eat when you get off? I imagine you must get hungry, all that dancing, so yeah?"

His entire face lit up, Sirius nodded eagerly, "Yeah, I would love to. There's this great place not too far from here?" Pausing a moment, he added on, "if you want to, that is. We can go somewhere else too? I mean, we can apparate just about anywhere so it's not like travel is an issue."

"No, no. Let's go where you wanted to. Can we walk though? I've never been the biggest fan of apparating and wait, how do you know what that is? You're a wizard?"

"James didn't tell you?" Sirius tilted his head to the side, causing him to look very much like a dog for a moment.

"No. It doesn't matter. I mean, it does. But not anymore…"

"Now that we both are aware that we're wizards."

"Yeah." Remus looked around their small space and asked, "So how long before you have to go back out?"

Playing with his fingers, Sirius shrugged. "Depends on how much you pay." Quickly looking up at Remus, he smiled and assured him "Don't worry. I'll explain it was a misunderstanding. Plus, since I never actually danced, it's not like we can force you. No need to pay for services not rendered and all that."

"Sorry, I took you away from actual paying customers."

"Don't be…I've always got time for a friend." They shared a private smile before Sirius determined that enough time had passed for Remus' lap to see enough dancing and they exited the room. Before leaving, Remus promised to meet Sirius when his shift ended so they could walk to the restaurant together.

Buttoning up his coat, Remus threw one last fond glance at Sirius' departing back before exiting the building to find somewhere to bide his time until midnight.

* * *

The walk to the nearby restaurant was full of laughter as Sirius told Remus an amusing story about one of his co-workers. Sam, a tall, confident, dark-skinned young man was confident and charming, yet a surprisingly awful dancer. Most nights he worked as a server or assisted Greyback with the bookkeeping. However, when a different dance failed to show up, he was thrown onstage with little more than a quick rundown of the dance explained beforehand. Standing with only a small pair of yellow briefs(no one trusted him with stripping)he began to swivel his hips in what looked like a poorly executed workout routine.

Fortunately, the audience was kind and reacted in a positive manner. Unfortunately, Sam took this as a sign of his ability and attempted to do what might have been a thrust. That resulted in him miscalculating his steps and crashing to the floor while simultaneously throwing out his back. Chaos erupted as security tried to pry him off the ground and drag him to the back, while worried customers tried to help. Making matters worse, Sam was in a full panic, flailing his arms around and eventually knocking a server in the face. The server in surprise lost their grip on the tray and dropped it to the ground, thus shattering the glasses on it. From behind the bar, Frank watched as the security guard continued in his attempt to move Sam's body and the soaked server yelled atrocities at the fallen dancer.

Eventually, Frank hid on the floor behind the bar, unable to stop laughing as he heard the bickering mess of a party move past him to the doors at the back of the room.

"Wait, where were you the entire time?" Remus asked cheeks flushed with laughter.

"I was doing my job," Sirius smirked "keeping my composure as usual."

"Nothing can shake you, can it?"

"Hm, I guess I can think of a few things," Sirius smiled. Remus' already reddened cheeks darkened and he looked away.

"I thought you said this restaurant was walking distance," Remus huffed. Sirius grinned and tugged Remus a few more steps before pulling him into a derelict building.

A greying woman in thick rimmed glasses shows them to a booth towards the back, near the hall to the restrooms. Gingerly picking up the menu, he looked up into Sirius' excited face.

"Should I be worried about a potential collapse?"

"From the building? No. From the food? Maybe."

"I'm charmed."

"So am I," Sirius smiled. Pink had bloomed across Remus' face before he managed to hide it behind the plastic menu. Sirius left his own menu on the table, his order already memorised.

For the next hour, they spoke quietly, learning more about each other. Sirius watched as Remus grew more comfortable until he was gesturing with his hands and telling grand stories about Hogwarts, his friends, and his family. Amber eyes sparkled as he told a particularly amusing tale of how he and his friends had tried to prank a poltergeist that resided in the school. With a healthy flush, he explains how after they had succeeded in their third year, his friend Peter suggested they have an annual prank on the poltergeist specifically. Lost in his memories, Remus was relaxed and regularly smiled.

Sirius found himself entranced by the beautiful man in front of him, causing him to miss his mouth multiple times. Sadly, one such miss resulted in him spilling sauce down his shirt, distracting Remus mid-sentence.

"Oops," Sirius laughed. "Sorry, what were you saying?"

"It's fine. Actually, I should probably be going."

"Me too," Sirius copied Remus and stood up. He tries to study the taller man as they exit the restaurant but is unable to decipher the look on Remus' face. As they stand on the sidewalk, Remus turns to face him with a guarded look.

"I was hoping, I mean I was going to ask if you would like to come to a party this weekend?" Remus asked.

"A p-party?" Sirius stuttered.

"Yes. Lily and James are throwing one and I wanted to know if you'd like to come." Remus paused, "I'd like it if you came."

"I would love to," Sirius beamed.


	4. Chapter 4

Green material floated to the floor to join the growing pile of clothing that Lily rejected. The ginger held up a flowing white blouse before she opened her hand and let it drift to the ground.

"This is useless. I've got nothing to wear. I might as well go nude." James sighed at the mental image. Naked Lily Evans. Naked Lily Evans and loud music. Naked Lily Evans and perhaps, a naked James Potter?

"You could always wear a jumper."

James groaned and was forced to end his fantasy as a naked Remus Lupin tried to join in. Didn't the werewolf have any manners?

Lily, however, scoffed, "Is that your default, then? Jumpers?"

"Ugly jumpers, actually," James interjected. Remus pouted and Lily grinned before closing the wardrobe.

"Ooh, that hurt. The venison doesn't like my fashion choices," Remus taunted. James threw a pillow in retaliation and laughed when it smacked into the other man's face. Hands over her flushed face, Lily giggled before she launched herself at her boyfriend, which knocked them both onto the bed.

James poked her limp body before he gently pushed her. Lily resisted and whined, "I've got nothing to wear."

"I'm sorry, Lily-dear, is there anything I can do to help?"

"Yes, Jamie-deer, there see my only option now is to wear nothing. But it wouldn't be fair if I were to be the only one naked, right?"

James smiled but before he could respond a deeply pained voice said, "You two are disgusting. Next time I plan on coming over, please just shove your fingers down my throat instead. It would be much more efficient that way."

Stupid Moony was ruining the moment. He was so close. So very close to seeing a naked Lily Evans.

"Will do, Moony. We've got some leftovers in the kitchen, so if you could just shut the door on your way out? We'll be done in twenty minutes or so,"

"Or so." Lily added while she drifted her hand down his torso.

* * *

"Wait." James grabbed her hand to stop the explorations as soon as Remus left the room. Confused, Lily began to sit up before James tightened his arms to stop her.

"What is it?"

"Do you think," James paused for a moment and wrinkled his forehead. "Is it a good idea for Moony to be seeing Sirius?"

Surprised, Lily cocked her head. "I thought you liked Sirius."

"I do," James replied earnestly, " but Moony is...Moony. I don't want him to get hurt."

"Remus can take care of himself, James." She kissed him on the cheek and asked, "Do you want to talk about it more? Is that why you asked him to leave?"

"Nah, just worried is all. Seeing a naked Lily Evans is why I asked him to leave."

Lily pinched his side to wipe the smug look off his face before she rubbed the spot gently to soothe it. "You're strange."

"You love me."

Lily beamed as she looked at his rumpled clothes and skewed specs. "I do!" she laughed and rubbed her cheek on his.

James sighed. A naked Lily Evans is great, spectacular even. But a happy Lily Evans is the sun rising in the morning, the scent of freshly baked scones and the sound of his heart beating out the rhythm of warmth and never ending joy.

* * *

Ignoring the steam clouding the mirror, James appraised himself before he walked out into the living room. Remus was laying on the couch eyeing Lily's cat with suspicion.

"Still have it out for Minerva?"

"I can't believe Lily actually named her that. And, no. It's the cat that has it out for me. Just because of what I am. You'd think Lily would have picked a more open minded cat."

"Well...alright. I see you started setting up." James gestured to the bottle of rum placed next to an uninflated balloon on the dining table.

Remus shrugged, "Not my party."

"Lily said you were bringing a platter?"

A look of guilt flashed across Remus' face as he sheepishly said, "Did she?"

Typically, James wouldn't care. But the reason they were hosting the party, the surprise announcement they had, was causing him to stress. This party needed to be perfect. In a panic, James grabbed his coat and without any further word, fled the flat.

A few hours later, James returned with arms full of food and alcohol, only to find Remus and Lily watching a newly appeared Peter Pettigrew enchant a record player. No one gave James a second look as he huffed to place all the drinks and food out.

Once music is flowing through the flat, and everything is ready, James finally allowed himself to join the others. They only have to wait about an hour before guests began to arrive. The party was loud, music and laughter bounced off the walls. The Prewett twins tried to do a jig on the table when Peter insinuated that he was the best dancer at the get together. Then, Frank nearly lost an eyebrow when he hid in the bath and popped out to surprise Mad-Eye Moody when he went to the toilet Thankfully, Moody's hex missed, or else, Frank might have lost both eyebrows.

So caught up in the revelry, James didn't even notice Sirius arrive. It wasn't until he stopped for a refill that he saw Remus introduce Sirius to Peter. He watched as Remus touched the other man's wrist in reassurance when a drunk and booming Marlene McKinnon bumped into him. James had never seen the look of soft affection on his best friend's face before. Remus watched Sirius with a small smile seemingly stuck to his face, never leaving his side. James considered moving towards them but stopped when he saw Sirius throw his head back in laughter in reply to something Remus said. Remus was holding his stomach and shaking with mirth as Sirius continued to laugh. Before he looked away, he felt a warm body lean into his.

"They're sweet, aren't they?" Lily asked, green eyes sparkling.

"Not as sweet as us."

"Merlin, Potter. You're a fucking sap." Lily cooed as she shook her head. James smiled in adoration. Lily hardly ever cursed unless she was tipsy or happy. Or both.

"You have no idea." Lily eyes widened, but she was too late to stop him before he hopped onto the coffee table. "Guests! Favored and honored guests. Excluding a select few," he threw a pointed look at the Prewetts, who laughed and flipped him off. "We are gathered here for a special announcement tonight!"

"Morons. Don't know how to use basic protection. Am I right, Moody? Constant Vigilance!" Alice staged whispered. The room laughed as Moody took an angry shot from his flask and James shook his head wildly.

"Everyone, concentrate. Me, your beloved James is talking."

"Unfortunately," Remus called out.

"Fuck off!" James yelled back, but he smiled. "Anyways. Lily and I are moving in together." The party went silent and James panicked before a confused voice spoke up.

"Don't you already live together?" Remus looked like he was about to start singing, the happiness bursting out of him at Sirius' question. James' mouth dropped open and he looked around at a sea of bemused faces until he found Lily staring back at him.

He jumped off the table and wrapped his arm around her waist. Cheers went up in the room as they kissed, although it was really more laughter than kissing. A dancing Dragon made of lights fizzed and popped as it flew around the room in celebration. So caught up in the moment, it wasn't until an hour later that James noticed something was wrong.

Everyone had congratulated them, but Remus had yet to do so. He walked around the flat until he found Remus sitting on a sofa alone, as stared into his drink.

"Everything alright?"

Remus shook his head before he forced a smile on his face.

Angered, James tried to place what could have upset his friend. "Moony, what's wrong?"

"Congrats, James. I'm happy for you too. You're nauseating, but it's sweet." Remus offered quietly.

"Thanks," James sighed. "Look, do you want me to find Sirius at least?" Remus grimaced and shook his head. "What? Why not?" James was going to gut Sirius if he hurt Remus. He would track the man down and kill him.

"It doesn't matter. Go find Lily, it's fine."

"Its not fine. It's not fine if you're hurt, Remus."

Remus laughed. "He left, okay. That's all. I was in the middle of a sentence and he just walked away and left. You can't be mad at someone just because they're not interested in me."

James frowned. Sirius looked plenty interested in Remus earlier. He decided that there was nothing he could now and making Remus happy was the priority.

"Fine. Think you can outdrink Peter?"

"What?"

"Do you think you can outdrink Wormtail?" he repeated slowly. James almost laughed at Remus' perplexed expression.

Gradually, the dark look faded and Remus grinned. "I'm a fucking werewolf. What type of question is that?" Remus stood and made his to way to Peter to prove his statement. James felt the weight lift off his shoulders at the smile on his friends face.

They could deal with this Sirius drama some other time. Hah, _Sirius_ drama. Before he could follow, he could feel someone watching them. He looked to see Moody watching Remus carefully with both eyes. Pushing away his curiosity, James walked to join his friends.

There was a competition to be had, after all.


	5. Chapter 5

The next few days, Remus tried his best not to think about Sirius. The process of going through a full moon certainly helped, but couldn't make him forget the grey eyed man. He had worried that the rejection and his subsequent moping would have an adverse effect on his transformation. However, the moon came and passed with the same excruciating transformation as usual. James and Peter didn't note any major differences from the average full moon and Remus spent the following days in recovery, too tired to think about beautiful strippers.

In an attempt to move on, Remus spent the fourth day after his transformation helping James move all the furniture out of Peter's flat. Feeling accomplished, he decided to go out and have a drink.

Remus' first outing led him to a crowded club, where upon entering he was bombarded by loud music and the smell of sweat. Three drinks later and he was rubbing against a tall, dark skinned woman with long, black hair. He leaned close as she fiddled with the buttons of his shirt, tracing over the patterns stretching across his chest. Remus whispered a question and twenty minutes later, he was unlocking his flat. When he flipped the light switch, the woman, Emily, stopped in her tracks. Her narrow eyes widened as she took in the room.

"What is all this stuff?"

"Just some extra things I'm keeping for a friend," Remus gulped. He had forgotten that after they'd finished moving James into Lily's flat, they'd moved Peter's furniture into his.

He pushed past a glaring yellow couch and turned back to Emily to see her staring at something on the table near her. Her lips pursed as she reached delicately for a photography of Peter's girlfriend Mary.

"What is this?"

"…an ex?"

"You keep framed photographs of your ex?"

"Yes." Remus' voice cracked.

"Right. And does all this furniture belong to your ex too?"

"No," Remus laughed and regretted it immediately when her eyes flashed.

The door thudded shut, her words telling him to "Call your girlfriend, arsehole," echoing behind her. Groaning, Remus counted to thirty before leaving the flat again, this time with no intentions of bringing someone home.

* * *

Sirius was behind the bar tonight, hair pulled back into a messy bun. He was distracted by an older patron, and so, did not see Remus walk up to the bar. Remus had initially planned on storming in and demanding an answer, but figured since he had to pay to get in, he shouldn't waste that money by getting kicked out. Remus watched Sirius work for a few minutes until the man turned towards him and froze.

"Remus."

"Sirius. I'll have a water please."

Sirius blinked before grabbing a glass and filling it from a hose. Instead of handing the drink to the other man, he placed it on the bar and slid it towards him.

"Is there a reason you're here?" Sirius asked slowly. Remus shook his head, then nodded it before shaking it once more.

Cocking his head, Sirius opened his mouth but was cut off by another man calling him over from the other end of the bar. Remus waved him off and continued sipping on his water while he tried to remember what he was going to say.

Remus went though two glasses of water and countless worried looks within the next hour. It wasn't until Frank and another man Remus didn't know appeared, that Sirius tugged on his arm and began to walk towards the back.

There was a door that led to a dimly lit hallway which eventually ended in a bright open room. Remus let a soft hand pull him to a bench along one of the walls and sat quietly.

"So," Sirius started, "what are you doing here?"

"I…" Remus found himself struggling to explain himself.

"You?" Sirius pressed.

"I wanted to know what happened at the party."

"Nothing." Sirius replied instantly.

Remus' eyes narrowed, "Then why did you leave without saying anything? Did I do something wrong? Did I make you uncomfortable?"

"No. Of course not," Sirius closed his eyes for a moment before slowly opening them again. "I'm just not used to being in social situations like that. I got overwhelmed. I promise, you did nothing wrong."

Remus sighed. Sirius had been very outgoing at the party and seemed to enjoy it. Maybe he was just trying to let Remus down gently and now Remus had made it awkward.

While Remus stayed silent, Sirius began to fidget more and more. Eventually Remus cleared his throat and stood up.

"I should go. I'll see you around." He began to turn away but stopped when Sirius threw out his arm.

Eyes wide, Sirius asked, "Would you want to get something to eat?"

"Look, I'm not really hungry-"

"No, not right now. Tomorrow or maybe some other day. When you have time. Like. As in something…formal."

"Formal?" Remus asked.

"Yeah." Sirius nodded.

Remus bit the inside of his cheek before pushing on and clarified, "Like a date?"

Sirius nodded quickly and stood up.

"Oh. Yes. I would. Like that. Very much, I would like that."

Sirius beamed and Remus hesitatingly smiled back. A date. He was going on a date with Sirius. A real date.

"Tomorrow works fine for me. What…where…?" Remus was not prepared to plan a date this quick but was saved by Sirius telling him to meet him at a nearby bus stop at noon.

Sirius walked him to the exit and assured him not to worry with a wink, before turning with a distressing amount of loose hair around his shoulders and sauntering back into the club.

Remus looked up at the cloudy sky and let out a breath.

"Don't worry yourself Remus, he's got this."


End file.
